Sky News: Swedish prosecutors have been told they can organise an interview with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange “in the coming weeks” over a rape allegation dating back to 2010.
Ecuador has said it is ready to set a date for Sweden to quiz Mr Assange inside its London embassy, where he has been holed up since June 2012.
The move could prove to be a breakthrough in a years-long international standoff.
Sweden wants to question Mr Assange, 45, about a rape claim, one of several allegations made against him by two women following his visit to the country in 2010.
He has not been charged and denies the allegations.
Mr Assange claims that if he is extradited to Sweden over the allegations, he will be sent to the United States to be prosecuted for the publication of secret documents, including US diplomatic cables, by WikiLeaks.
Chelsea Manning, a US soldier who passed thousands of secret military and State Department documents to WikiLeaks, is serving a 35-year sentence in a military prison.
Mr Assange faces arrest by British police if he leaves the embassy and has not left the building in years.
Ecuador agreed to Sweden’s proposal to interview him inside the building last year, but no date was set.
Swedish Prosecution Authority spokeswoman Karin Rosander said that after a submitting a formal request in January and a reminder in June, Ecuador has now responded to say a date for the interview would be set “in the coming weeks”.
“It means that a questioning can make the case go forward,” Ms Rosander said.
“This is decisive to be able to take a decision whether to formally charge him or not.”
In a statement, Mr Assange’s defence team said it welcomed the steps to take his statement, which it said “comes after six years of complete inaction on the part of the Swedish prosecutor”.
Earlier this year, a UN group found that Sweden and the UK were violating Mr Assange’s human rights, calling for him to be released and compensated for being detained without charge.
The British and Swedish governments have rejected the non-binding findings.
